Soldiers killed in Thailand’s Deep South, what does it mean for insurgent talks?

Military officials in southern Thailand say eight soldiers have been killed in a roadside bombing.

Authorities say two soldiers and two civilians were wounded in the blast Saturday morning in the Muslim-majority Yala province.

A military spokesman said the soldiers were returning home in a truck after finishing a patrol when a bomb destroyed the vehicle, killing the eight soldiers instantly.

BP: This comes after 5 deaths of soldiers in a single roadside bomb in May and 6 deaths in a string of attacks in one day in early May. The number of deadly days continues. The bigger political question given the government has started talks with an insurgent group is, what will the continued attacks mean to public support for the talks? They are unlikely to help, but will it become such a strong political negative that it becomes politically difficult for the government to continue? When the government has a reasonably overall popular rating/support, then it becomes easier as a government can take a hit on a few issues (i.e on a few specific issues the public are against) as long as its overall support remains high. However, with one poll showing a significant drop in support for Yingluck and the government after problems over the rice pledging scheme – albeit the government is still reasonably comfortably ahead of the opposition, as former government supporters have switched to the unknown camp and not to the opposition – will the government become more concerned over the politics of the talks?

Will try to explore that and other issues surrounding the talks in the future.